Herman Marks was born into a working-class family in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on August 1, 1921. Marks was a sexual deviant with an overriding compulsion to rape underaged girls- the younger the better, as he saw it. His propensity toward violent crime began in his early teens, and for the remainder of his life thereafter, he robbed, rapped, stole and brutally beat any hapless victim he could exploit when the opportunity presented itself. He was a loner and certified psychopath. When Herman was not committing violent felonies, he would drink, smoke, sniff, swallow or inject any illegal narcotic he could place his dirty little hands on. He had a grade school education and a creepy demeanor which repelled just about everyone he ever came in contact with. These credentials would later make him an ideal candidate for recruitment into Fidel Casto’s murderous, Communist guerrilla army in Cuba.

   His last prison stretch was in Wisconsin’s Waupun State Penitentiary. A prison which was then set aside for the most violent and hardened of Wisconsin’s criminals. Upon learning of his assignment to Waupun, Herman naively assumed that he would fit right in and make fast friends among his fellow deviants. Unfortunately, Herman wasn’t particularly well received by his fellow convicts in Waupun. This was primarily for two reasons: First, the other inmates found him to be a “weirdo” in the extreme. Second, it was learned by the offender population that Herman was doing time for the rape of a sixteen-year-old girl which caused Marks to be branded in prison slang, as a “Broad Jumper.” Even prison Warden, John C. Burke would later describe Herman Marks as, “a real stinker.” This was no small distinction given the many other notorious and profoundly disturbed prisoners who were also incarcerated at Waupun then.

   Marks acted like a tough guy when he was loose on the street brutalizing the elderly, women, teenaged girls and others weaker than him. In maximum-security prison, his tune changed. Once Marks’ profile was raised from his later activity in Cuba, journalists began seeking out interviews with those who knew him from before his nefarious deeds in service to Castro. One such person was Mathew “Matty” Brown who had served time with Marks in Waupun. Brown remarked:

 “He (Marks) didn’t look like a punk. I mean, he had a good build. But all fish (new inmates) get tested by other Cons. He wouldn’t stand up for himself. He was a strange cat. Odd…man. Very odd… you know? Something was wrong with him… yeah, he was a punk.”

   Perhaps only the infamous serial killer Ed Gein was hated more. Yet, Gein was housed in Waupun’s criminally insane ward, where the inmates couldn’t get to him. The same was not true for Marks. In Waupun, Marks quickly earned the nickname, “Frig Mouth.” In 1950’s prison slang, “Frig” means copulation. Need more be said? He survived two different attempts on his life from other inmates. Nothing about his difficult taste-of-your-own-medicine experience in Waupun changed his views on crime, criminality or the victims of the same. According to Herman Marks himself, it only reinforced his own personal ethos that, “…in this world there are only the strong and the weak. In nature, the weak are always victims of the strong or stronger.”  How philosophical.

   In 1956, Marks was released from the penitentiary.  He had no job prospects nor a girlfriend waiting for him when he got out. In fact, Marks had never had a girlfriend. Although Marks was not an unattractive man, he had never been much of a hit with the opposite sex. Marks’ freaky weird persona tended to cause the needle on women’s internal Creep Meters to shoot deeply into the red zone. This was likely because prison psychiatrists diagnosed Marks as being both severely narcissistic and psychopathic. Thus, when not raping young girls, Marks spent most of his limited financial resources on buying encounters with prostitutes in Milwaukee’s red-light district. Even with these ladies for hire, there were still those who balked- no matter what price Marks was willing to pay. Among Milwaukee’s “working girls,” Herman Marks would became known as “Psycho Eyes.”

   Marks’ release from prison in 1956, opened a host of fresh challenges for him. As it turned out, numerous people were eager to find Herman Marks so they could “talk with him.” Who were these people? Well, they included FBI agents, police detectives and other members of the law enforcement community from such far-flung places as New York, Maine, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and more. All were keen to speak with Marks about serious crimes he was alleged to have committed such as, theft, armed robbery, burglary, assault, and of course, rape. Yet they were having difficulty finding him. This was only because when not snoozing on his mother’s couch, Marks had become a wandering street itinerant, sleeping wherever he could find a roof to have over his head. Word on the street regarding the different law enforcement agencies searching for Herman Marks, soon reached old “Frig Mouth.” Upon being apprised of the authorities’ efforts to find him, Marks deduced it might be wise for him to get as far away from Milwaukee as possible. There was just one problem. Mr. Marks had not so much as the proverbial pot to piss in, let alone the money needed to relocate to a far off region of the country.

   For most people, this would pose a significant obstacle. However, unlike most people, Marks would demonstrate a certain resourcefulness when faced with his dilemma. Accordingly, Marks did what any red-blooded American career criminal would do under similar circumstances. He stole a series of cars then went on a four-day, multi-state crime spree where he mugged, pillaged, robbed, burgled and stole until he had enough money to make his way south the Florida, which is almost as far from Milwaukee as one can get while still remaining in the continental United States. Once in Maimi, he went on a drinking, drugging and prostitute fueled binge of hedonistic depravity.

   In Florida, he had talked his way into a job working on a shrimp boat. He had done so by claiming to have served as a sailor in the US Merchant Marine. He lasted about three days on the shrimp boat until it became apparent that he didn’t know what the hell he was doing. There never was any definitive proof that he ever did in fact serve as a merchant mariner although Marks would continue to claim as much for most of his life.

He would also claim at various times that he had either served in the Army in WWII or during the war in Korea. These claims can be disproven. Although he was of military age during WWII, Marks had dodged the draft and was arrested and later charged with draft evasion. The draft evasion charge was dismissed as the Judge determined that his extensive criminal record would have precluded him from being eligible to serve in any branch of the US military. However, Marks was well versed in the use and maintenance of various firearms, going back to his childhood. His father was a bit of a gun nut. Those skills would later serve him well both as a criminal and in other future endeavors.

    It was in Miami where he made some newfound criminal friends who alerted Marks to opportunities for those with his particular skill set, in Havana. There were many Mafia controlled hotels, nightclubs and casinos to be found in Havana, Cuba and the mobsters who ran them were purportedly always looking for men who weren’t afraid of “getting their hands dirty.” With the remaining booty from his crime spree, Marks was able to secure boat passage to Cuba. Shall we generously say it was the type of travel arrangement which didn’t require Mr. Marks to present his Passport upon arrival.

   Marks made the rounds of the various mob owned casinos in Havana. He made less than a favorable impression on the Mafia operators. Marks had the type of repelling personality which caused others, including fellow criminals, to adopt an unflattering opinion of him. On his second day of job hunting, he visited The Hotel Plaza, a notorious Mafia owned casino in Havana. The assistant casino manager seemed to think Herman Marks might be a good addition to the of operation’s “muscle department.” Marks was invited back for a meeting with the man in charge of the operation, notorious mobster, Joe Stassi. After speaking with an excessively weird and cocky Marks for about ten minutes, Stassi saw right through his bullshit.  Having heard enough, Stassi stood up and warned Herman Marks, “I never forget a face, Pal.  You’d better hope I never see yours in this casino again.”

   Marks was escorted off the premises and given a final warning to never return. As Herman Marks gloomily walked through Havana’s Vedado District, he undoubtedly contemplated his limited prospects. By his own admission, he knew only ten words of Spanish. He was almost out of money but, he couldn’t return to the United States as he was a wanted man. Marks then did what was quite predictable for him. He beat a hasty path in search of an oceanfront dive bar with the intention of getting drunk.  

   Marks’ wild eyed and unkempt appearance was in stark contrast to the throngs of affluent American tourists he walked amongst in his search a cheap, hole-in-the-wall bar. He finally found a darkly lit, seedy little joint away from the tourists, that suited him and his limited budget. The clientele seemed to be mostly fishermen and sailors. Marks took a long swig from his ice-cold beer and contemplated the limited options available to him given the seemingly irrevocable corner his choices has painted him into.

  Yet in life, as one door closes, another may open. Just as Marks ordered a second beer with a shot of whiskey, he felt a warm pat on his shoulder.

  “Herman?” The voice which spoke with a Cuban accent and had a pleasantly surprised tone.

   Herman Marks turned to find one of his crewmates from the ill-fated Shrimp Boat job standing next to him in the bar. The Cuban was the only member of the small crew who had tried to help him learn his job. The other crew members had exhibited contempt for Marks as his lack of qualifications ultimately caused more work for them.

   As a man with few friends, Marks enjoyed his reunion with the Cuban sailor. The two men drank, joked and laughed for several hours. Marks had told his friend of his unsuccessful attempts to find work at the local casinos. His friend responded by telling him that those casinos wouldn’t be around for long in any event. The Cuban told his former shipmate about the 26^th of July Movement. A revolutionary force which he felt would ultimately succeed in overthrowing the government of Cuba because the people were allegedly opposed to the régime of Fulgencio Batista.

  Marks asked the Cuban two questions: “Does the rebel army accept yanquis?” “Who would I see to join the 26^th of July Movement?”

The next day, Marks purchased a bus ticket to the town of Manzanillo, which was then a sleepy little city nearly 500 miles to the east of Havana, nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Maestra mountain range. With nothing to lose, he decided to become a member of the Communist revolutionary army or die trying. Yet, the choice to join a Communist guerilla insurgency was a particularly odd decision for one Herman Marks.  

   Beginning in his late teens, Marks had developed a strong affinity for Adolph Hitler and the Italian Fascist leader, Benito Mussolini. He specifically agreed with Hitler’s warped racial dogma. He believed wholeheartedly that white people were a master race and viewed others of non-white ethnicity, particularly blacks, with disdain. He supported the idea of racial segregation and felt that as a white man, he should not have to suffer mingling with blacks. He considered Communism to be a sinister Jewish invention with the objective of world domination and Zionist supremacy. He also believed that Communism itself was a Jewish conspiracy to enslave the white race. In short, Marks was a despicable racist with a deluded if not perversely twisted, world view.  

   Upon arriving in Manzanillo, the man who believed that “Communism was the chosen vehicle of Jews to enslave the white, European race,” set out to ask anyone and everyone he encountered about how he would go about joining the Communist revolutionaries. It wasn’t long before Marks met two young Cubans who were also hoping to join Castro’s guerilla army. Marks and his two new companions decided to band together. They bought all the provisions that they could carry and set out into the jungle to find the rebels. After nearly three days and with their provisions waning, the trio of aspiring revolutionaries stumbled upon a guerrilla outpost

The jungle outpost was manned by a few dozen rebels and commanded by guerrilla Captain Paco Cabrera who, fortunately for Marks, spoke English. Captain Cabrera was initially suspicious of Marks’ intentions and taken aback by his strange demeanor. Cabrera spent a significant amount of time questioning the rather odd American. For his part, Marks spun some wild tales about his having served with distinction in the US Army during the Korean War where he claimed to have seen extensive combat. He also claimed to be a small arms expert. There was some truth to the latter statement as he had grown up using both pistol and rifle and was proficient in the cleaning and maintenance of many different firearms.

   Marks’ two companions were welcomed into the rebel army as was Marks, despite Captain Cabrera’s reservations. Marks’ new comrades in arms within the small jungle guerilla garrison didn’t know quite what to make of him. He couldn’t speak Spanish and exhibited some peculiar behavior such as frequently talking or laughing to himself. This strange behavior prompted his fellow guerillas to label him as the “Loco Gringo.” A derisive moniker yes, but preferable to “Frig Mouth.”

   Marks cachet among his fellow rebels improved considerably one day when he came upon a few of his fellow soldiers clumsily trying to disassemble a .30 Caliber M1 Carbine rifle. Newly minted guerrilla fighter Herman Marks intervened and showed his comrades how to properly disassemble, clean and maintain the weapon. Marks soon became responsible for the maintenance and repair of all firearms in his remote guerrilla base.

    Marks would later be assigned to a unit ostensibly commanded by Che Guevara. Guevera was not a skilled battlefield tactician and delegated the tactical combat deployment of men to his subordinates. In Marks, Che immediately recognized a kindred spirit. Both men were diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder and both were Psychopathic. Both men avoided direct combat whenever they could, and both would become known as men who took great pleasure in executing other people.

   Yet, in his journal, Che wrote that, “The American (Marks) fundamentally didn’t fit into the troop.”

   Che’s guerilla underling and aid, Enrique Acevedo, told Che’s biographer, Jon Lee Anderson that Marks was, “tyrannical and arbitrary…in camp.” Acevedo also told Anderson that Marks’ “bloodthirsty ruthlessness had disturbed many of his fellow rebel fighters and that it was particularly his readiness to gleefully volunteer for execution duty which he did with an enthusiasm which was unseemly.”

   After the fall of Batista and the collapse of the Cuban government, Che would be tasked by Castro with overseeing the executions of close to 49,000 Cubans. Who were these unfortunate souls slated to be snuffed out by their new Communist masters?  They were those who had dared to serve in the Cuban military from the ranks of Private all the way up to General. Anyone who had ever served in the police force. Anyone of note who had previously criticized Castro or his revolution. Any wealthy individuals who hadn’t already fled the island.

    Che, like Herman Marks, was a psychopath, and a sexual degenerate. Although Comrade Che would have personally enjoyed executing all 49,000 Cuban “enemies of the people” himself, it was not feasible for him to do so. Accordingly, Che naturally chose his kindred spirit Herman Marks, to assist in this task. Marks, who had recently been promoted to Captain, was given command of the La Cabana fortress and tasked with overseeing the executions of tens of thousand of these former soldiers, policemen and critics of Castro.

  Thus, standing at center stage in the courtyard of the La Cabana fortress stood “Psycho Eyes,” also known as “Frig Mouth,” the Waupun Penitentiary “punk.” His evil, crooked smile beaming live on Cuban Television and before the international press while bellowing out the commands to the firing squad: “Atencion, Preparen, Aputen, Fuego!” (Attention, Ready, Aim, Fire!). After the lifeless bodies of the condemned collapsed to the stone masonry floor below, Marks would walk toward the executed men with the wicked grin of man who was thoroughly enjoying himself. Then, into each blood oozing corpse he fired a bullet into the head, which he appeared to relish.

    It’s believed that old “Frig mouth” presided over the executions of some 20,000 Cubans. Many of these executions were witnessed by the loved ones of the condemned on live television. Marks took great enjoyment in mocking those condemned men who called for a Priest to give them the Last Rites or who prayed to God before their execution. Many of the men were led to the execution courtyard with their hands untied. More than a few of those men used their last moments of life to courageously taunt their Communist tormentors. Many of these men would place their index finger between their eyes and courageously deride their executioners by shouting, “Aim right here.” In the end, it was the dignity of these condemned men which demonstrated their real courage. The type of courage which had always eluded men like Che or Marks.

    For the brave men who would dare the firing squad to “shoot right here,” (between the eyes) Marks would personally shoot each of these dead men in the face with six to eight bullets in order to ensure that their families would be unable to recognize them. Marks briefly became a worldwide celebrity among Leftists. He enjoyed the numerous media interviews where he would always mention how grueling his schedule was and seldom failed to mention that he was “up until 2:00 AM performing executions.” In the western media, Marks became known as “the Butcher Havana.”

    After all the “people’s enemies” were executed, Marks’ Warholian fifteen minutes of fame evaporated. Even Castro seemed ever so unnerved over how much Marks seemed to enjoy executing people. News stories had made their way into Cuba from the American press detailing Marks’ extensive criminal history and prison record. That portion of his past was conveniently left out of the biography he had provided to Castro. Moreover, there was no longer much use Herman Marks in the new Castro dictatorship. Marks could barely speak Spanish. He had no education and few skills to offer the new government apart from his willingness to murder others.  To his profound disappointment, he was offered no position of import in the new Communist regime. However, as a “hero of the revolution,” he was afforded a very small and modest home to live in and a meager monthly stipend to subsist on. Marks angrily scoffed at the offer.  He clearly had an inflated view of his own worth to Casto’s new government. In an enraged tizzy, “Frig Mouth” stormed out of Cuba and discreetly slipped back into the United States. He was arrested soon thereafter for illegally entering the country and there was a dispute over whether or not he was still a United states citizen which was settled in his favor by the courts. Marks quickly became a societal pariah within American society.

     He was unable to find gainful employment given his criminal record and status as “the Butcher Havana.” He was arrested in New York in May of 1964 for making threatening phone calls. On Friday the 13^th of August 1965 he fell from a tree and broke his right leg after using binoculars to peep at a young girl through a neighbor’s window. When the police arrived, his trousers were unzipped, and an “appendage” was protruding from the unzipped pant zipper crotch. An arrest warrant was issued for Herman Marks after his return to Milwaukee. The warrant alleged that he had engaged in “indecent sexual behavior with a six-year-old girl. Upon hearing of the arrest warrant, Marks told others that he was, “getting the hell out of dodge.”

He was last seen speeding toward the state line via what today is known as “Interstate 39. “ He was never seen again. Different theories have arisen concerning his disappearance.

Some say he went to Las Vegas, seeking “muscle work” and ended up in a hole in the desert courtesy of John “Handsome Johnny” Roselli who also had CIA contacts and had worked with the agency on Cuban related matters. For a while, the father of the six-year-old girl that Marks had molested was considered a prime suspect in his “disappearance.” Others have alleged that Marks was tortured and killed by Cuban exiles. What seems almost certainly to be the case is that a person or persons unknown did our society and the world at large a tremendous favor by dispatching “Frig Mouth” to Hell.